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National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 (ICPSR 4683)

Principal Investigator(s):Ohio State University. Center for Human Resource Research

Summary:

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is
one of six surveys, designed by the United States Department of Labor,
comprising the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) Series. The survey
was intended to be representative of United States residents, both
male and female, in 1979 who were born between the years of 1957 and
1964. The NLSY79 observes the life-course experiences of young adults
that had, typically, finished their schooling and were making
decisions about education and tra... (more info)

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is
one of six surveys, designed by the United States Department of Labor,
comprising the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) Series. The survey
was intended to be representative of United States residents, both
male and female, in 1979 who were born between the years of 1957 and
1964. The NLSY79 observes the life-course experiences of young adults
that had, typically, finished their schooling and were making
decisions about education and training, entering the labor market,
military service, marriage, and having families. The survey was
conducted annually between the years of 1979 and 1994 and then
biennially thereafter. The NLSY79 addresses 13 main topics including:
labor market experiences, training investments, schooling, military
experience, income and assets, health conditions, substance abuse and
criminal behavior, geographic residence, family background, household
composition, marital and fertility histories, and childcare. Between
1979 and 2002 respondents were asked about the current labor force
status, whether the respondent was employed, unemployed, or out of the
labor force. Respondents who were considered to be employed were asked
for information regarding their occupation, industry, benefits, job
satisfaction, and number of hours worked. In addition, respondents
were asked about wages, length of time with current employer, and gaps
in their work history. Unemployed respondents were asked about their
job search behavior and plans to seek employment. Respondents were
asked a series of questions relating to training investments. The
NLSY79 collected data on the types of non-goverment-sponsored
vocational training programs in which the respondent participated.
Specifically, respondents were asked about dates of training received,
form of payment for the training, whether certification or a license
was obtained as a result of the training, and transferability of
skills acquired various job-training programs. Respondents were also
asked questions about their schooling such as current school
enrollment, highest grade completed, whether they had received a high
school diploma or GED equivalent, type of high school curriculum,
college enrollment status, major field of study at college, and
college degrees earned. Respondents were also asked about any military
experience such as enlistment intentions, attitudes toward military
service, dates of military service, branch of service, income,
education/training received, and reasons for leaving the military or
reenlisting. Respondents were also surveyed on their income sources
and assets. Respondents were asked about income coming from the
respondents' and their spouses' wages or salary, military service,
profits from a farm or business, Social Security, pensions,
alimony/child support, unemployment compensation, Aid to Families with
Dependent Children (AFDC), and Food Stamps. They were also asked about
asset holdings such as property, vehicles, and savings accounts.
Respondents were asked to provide data with respect to their physical
condition including height, weight, and any health condition that
might prevent or inhibit labor market participation. This could
include work-related injuries, for mothers, prenatal care, and overall
physical activity. Respondents were queried about alcohol and
substance abuse. Specifically, they were asked about the quantity and
frequency of alcohol consumption, use of cigarettes, and the extent of
any illegal drug use (e.g. marijuana, barbiturates, cocaine, and
heroin). Respondents were asked for their expectations relating to
marriage, education, and employment and attitudes towards work and
women, occupational aspirations, and work commitment. Respondents were
also asked about residence information including residence at birth,
at age 14, and current region of residence, whether current residence
is rural or urban, and whether the residence is located in a
metropolitan statistical area. Selected surveys also a asked a series
of questions on family background including racial/ethnic
identification, number of siblings, immigration/visa status, as well
as background information about their parents' birthplace, education,
and work experiences. They were also asked about their current
household composition including the sex, age, and relationship to
respondent for each person living in the respondents household at the
time. Respondents were asked to give information relating to their
marital and fertility histories including current marital status,
changes in martial status since the previous interview, previous
marriages, total number of spouses and partners. Female respondents
were asked about their fertility histories including all pregnancies
resulting in live births, children, contraceptive methods, birth
expectations, and abortions. Finally, female respondents were asked to
comment on childcare options utilized such as care given by relatives,
daycare centers, nursery or preschools, costs of childcare, and number
of hours the respondents' children spent in childcare.

Access Notes

This data collection has been deaccessioned; it is no longer distributed by ICPSR.
Additional information may be available in Data Collection Notes.

The data belonging to the National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth 1979 was previously archived as part of the National
Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experiences, 1966-1992 (ICPSR
7610). In efforts to make the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS)
Series data more usable, the six cohorts comprising the NLS have been
reorganized so that data and documentation for each study can now be
found under the following ICPSR study titles: National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth, 1997 (ICPSR 3959), National Longitudinal Survey of
Older Men, 1966-1990 (ICPSR 4675), National Longitudinal Survey of
Young Men, 1967-1981 (ICPSR 4678), National Longitudinal Survey of
Young Women, 1968 (ICPSR 4680), and National Longitudinal Survey of
Mature Women, 1967 (ICPSR 4681).

The original National
Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experiences data and
documentation files remain available in their original form. Please
see ICPSR study 7610.

Please consult the codebook for important
errata for the NLS Youth 1979 cohort.

Additional information
pertaining to the NLS Youth 1979 cohort can be found at the Bureau of
Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/nls/nlsy79.htm.

Study Description

Citation

Ohio State University. Center for Human Resource Research. National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979. ICPSR04683-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2007-09-17. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04683.v1

Universe:
Young men and women ages 14 to 21 as of December 31, 1978
representing the civilian, noninstitutionalized population and
residing in the United States.

Data Types:
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

The data belonging to the National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth 1979 was previously archived as part of the National
Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experiences, 1966-1992 (ICPSR
7610). In efforts to make the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS)
Series data more usable, the six cohorts comprising the NLS have been
reorganized so that data and documentation for each study can now be
found under the following ICPSR study titles: National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth, 1997 (ICPSR 3959), National Longitudinal Survey of
Older Men, 1966-1990 (ICPSR 4675), National Longitudinal Survey of
Young Men, 1967-1981 (ICPSR 4678), National Longitudinal Survey of
Young Women, 1968 (ICPSR 4680), and National Longitudinal Survey of
Mature Women, 1967 (ICPSR 4681).

The original National
Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experiences data and
documentation files remain available in their original form. Please
see ICPSR study 7610.

Please consult the codebook for important
errata for the NLS Youth 1979 cohort.

Additional information
pertaining to the NLS Youth 1979 cohort can be found at the Bureau of
Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/nls/nlsy79.htm.

Methodology

Sample:
A total of 12,686 youth were selected from the universe of
potential respondents during household screenings and deemed eligible
respondents. In addition, there was a supplemental sample of 5,295
youth designed to oversample civilian Hispanic, Black, and
economically disadvantaged non-Black and non-Hispanic youths. There
was also a military sample of 1,280 designed to represent the
population born between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1961, and
enlisted in one of the four branches of the active military forces as
of September 30, 1978.